System of lubrication.



C. E; EDGAR.

SYSTEM OF LUBRICATION.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 1. 1915.

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Patented Dec. 25, 1917.

C. E. EDGAR.

SYSTEM OF LUBRICATION.

APPLICATION man NOV. 1. 1915.

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CHARLES E. EDGAR, OF KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI.

SYSTEM or LUBRICATION.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 25, 1917.

Application filed November 1, 1915. Serial No. 59,028.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, CHARLES E. EDGAR, a citizen-of the United States, residing at Kansas City, in the county of Jackson and State of Missouri, have invented a certain new and useful System of Lubrication, of which the following is a full and exact specification.

This invention relates to lubrication, and

the primary object in View is to devise a simple and efficient mode of feeding a mixture of oil and graphite to surfaces to be lubricated, as well as a satisfactory apparatus for carrying such mode of lubrication into practice. For accomplishing this purpose, a process of obtaining the desiredlubricating mixture of oil and graphite has been devised, wherein the flow of oil is so regulated in connection with the graphite to be fed as to secure the proper mixture of oil and graphite, and the mixture then carried off by means of a suitable medium of flotation. \Viththis general objectin view, the in.- vention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings fully illustrating the principle of operation in connection with means contrived for practising the same, after which those features and combinations deemed to benovel will be pointed out in the appended claims.

In the drawings Figure 1 is a vertical section of a lubricator cup showing one form of embodiment of the invention;

Fig. 2 is a sectional detail of a graphite chamber illustrating the formation of the oil and graphite mixture and flotation of the same; i

Fig. 3 is a vertical sectional view showing a modified arrangement with its steam connections; and I 1 Fig. a is a sectional detail of a modified form of water. connection to the graphite chamber.

The advantages of graphite as a lubricant are so important and well-recognized that various ways and means have been devised for feedingit to the surfaces to be lubricated. Among itsmost valuable properties are its practically inc estructible character as a lubricant and indifference to high temperatures, and the tenacity with which it adheres to metallic surfaces, working into the low places and filling these with a hardness lmo tequa t th t f he m tal a d rm:

ing a surface almost frictionless. When mixed with oil, this adhesive property is not affected, and such a mixture, when used: in steam cylinders, forms a film upon the metal surface which acts as a most" effective nonconductor of heat, thereby saving a great amount of power otherwise lost by condensation. WVat-er is never entirely absent, however, from steam cylinders, and where. 011 alone is used for lubricating them, it-must be compounded with animal or vegetable sub stances to render it sufficiently adhesive inthepresence of water. Such oilsare'decomposed by the heat and form injurious acids, as well as foul odors which are retained by the water of condensation, and the latter also more or less discolored, and thus rendered unfit for ice making.

Now the chief obstacle met with in endeavoring to feed a mixture of graphite and oil (preferably, for reasons just stated, a pure mineral oil), has been the tendency of the graphitebecause of its higher specific gravity-to settle in the oil and form a'thick pasty mass impossible to feed by, any arrangement now known, since a feed opening of small diameter is required in order to produce a feed of the. proper rate, which is ordinarily but a few drops per minute. In the present invention, this diiliculty is overcome by generating anoil flow past a supply of graphite, regulating the amount of graphite taken up by the oil as hereinafter explained, and floating the oil. thus charged with graphite by means of a medium of greater specific gravity than the lubricating mixture so obtained.

Referring more particularly to Fig. 1 of the drawing, a lubricator cup 2 is illustrated as partially filled with a mixture 4 of graphite and oil or Water), which, in practice, may comprise a substantially saturated mixture forming a paste. This mixture is supplied through the filling plug 6, and the upper portion of the cup is verynearly filledfwith a medium 8 having a specific gravity somewhat greater than that of the oil drops after they have become charged with graphite, this medium, inthe present instance, being water, the supply of which is maintained by means of a passage 10 leading to a condenser attachment 12 mounted on the steam connecting pipe 1 f having the throttle valve 16. An outlet pipe 17, for the. mixed oil and, graphite, ex;

tends from the normal level of the water within the cup 2 to the lower end of the sight feed tube 18, from the upper end of which is led a pipe 20, through the cup 2 and the mouth of the passage 10, into communication with the steam line '14.

This construction is adapted for use where a central oil reservoir is maintained for supplying oil to a plurality of lubrieating devices, the oil being admitted through the bottom of the cup 2, which is provided with the valve plug 22. A pressure is maintained on the central oil supply somewhat in excess of the steam pressure. The principle of the operation will be understood by reference to Fig. 2, which illustrates the formation of the flotable mixture and the disengagement of the same from the pasty mixture. The paste 4 is, as before stated, alreadyapproximately saturated with the oil or water; and, as the specific gravity of this paste 15 greater than that of the water 8, it remains at the bottom of. the cup 2. The excess oil admitted through the bottom of the cup tends to rise through the paste, and in effect dilutes the mixture in the vicinity of its upper surface, with the result that the specific gravity of the mixture at points overlying the oil inlet gradually diminishes, the surface swelling as indicated at 24, until, as the specific gravity of this portion of the mixture becomes less than that of the water, the lightened mixture is disengaged in the form of a drop 28, carrying particles of the graphite along with it, as illustrated, to the surface of the water, where it forms a layer 30 of lubricating oil and graphite of a consistency which may be driven into the pipe 17. The affinity of the graphite being greater for oil than for water, the oil does not lose its graphite tothe water. The amount of the graphite carried by each drop may be adjusted to a certain extent by the rate of feed of the oil, and also by the variation in thickness of the graphite paste maintained in the bottom of the cup. Be yond a certain thickness of layer of the paste it is found that the amount of graphite carried per drop remains practically the same for a given rate of oil feed, when the drop may be said to be saturated. However, the carrying capacity of the oil varies more or less with oils of different grades.

As the supply of the graphite paste diminishes, its surface line lowers, finally taking the outline indicated by the dotted line 32 in Fig. 1, the remainder of the cup 2 above this line being then filled with water. The excess water may be drawn oif through an outlet 34, it being unnecessary, of course, to draw off all the water preparatory to introducing a new supply of the graphite. The proper supply of water is automatically maintained by the action of the condenser 12, and obviously some of this water is forced out along with the lubricating mixture, thereby facilitating the feeding of the same as well as flushing the feed passages and preventing the accumulation of the lubricating mixture at any point to an extent which would permit it to drop its graphite. It will be apparent, however, that the steam connection is not indispensable to the fundamental operation involved, namely, the formation of a fluent mixture of graphite and oil, and detaching and transferring the same to the entrance to the lubricating passages by a medium of flotation in the manner described. That is, the invention may be embodied in devices for lubricating ordinary journal boxes and other bearing surfaces as well as in the relation above set forth.

In Figs. 3 and 4 is illustrated a structure adapted for use where an individual oil supply is maintained for each lubricating de- Vice. In this construction, an oil chamber 36 and a separate graphite chamber 38 are formed by dividing the casing by means of a partition 40, and access is had to said chambers by means'of the filling plugs 42, 44, respectively. A drain plug 46, provided with a suitable valve 48, is fitted into the bottom ofthe chamber 36 for drainingthe same at intervals. A similar plug 50, having the valve 52, is threaded into the bottom of the graphite chamber 38, and provided with.

a stem 54 of proper length for draining sand chamber above a given level as in the previous construction. The oil 56 is driven from the chamber 36 outthrough the tube 58 as water 8 enters said chamber from the condenser 60 in the steam line 62. This condenser communicates with the chamber 36 through the valve connection 63 having the separate passages64, 66, controlled respectively by the valves 68, 70, and the passage 64 is fitted with a tube 72 extending approximately to the bottom of chamber 36. The other passage 66 is fitted with a tube 74 extending approximately to the upper end of the condenser 60, and with a tube 76 which communicates with the chamber 38, above the level of the graphite therein, through a passage 7 8 formed in an extension 80 projecting laterally from the partition 40. Thus a water supply is provided both for driving the oil through the graphite paste 4 under hydrostatic pressure, and for floating the layer 30 of the lubricant, as formed, to the mouth of the tube 82 which communicates with the plug 84 providing passage into the sight tube 18. WVith this plug82 is also associated a valve 86 for regulating the flow of oil issuing from the tube 58 into the chamber 38. The course of the lubricant from the sight feed 18 is through tubes 88and 90 to the steam connection'92, the inner ends'of said tube'sbeing fitted in a passage 94 inthe extension 80.v

The principle of operation of this construction, so faras the formation of the lubricant and-feeding of the same are concerned, is of course substantially the same as before. The water level in the condenser 60 is normally at the top-of the tube 74, as it can only pass into-the chamber 36 at the same rate as the oil is admitted past the valve 86. The excess waterfrom the condenser, which is allowed to pass the valve by way of the tubes 7a and 76, enters the chamber 38. Any water which enters this chamber in excess of that necessary to replace the graphite will follow the course of the lubricant through the tube 82 to the steam line 92; and, in operation, the valve 70 is so regulated that there will be a sufficient flow of such excess water for the purpose of flushing these passages from the graphite chamber to the steam line and preventing any accumulation of oil which would permit it to drop any of its graphite.

Fig. i illustrates a modified form of construction for maintaining the water supply in the graphite chamber 38. This contemplates the omission of the direct line of communication between the condenser 60 and graphite chamber through the tubes 74, 7 6 and valve passage 66, and in lieu thereof provides a water passage 96 between the lower ends of the chambers 36 and 38 fitted with a packing plug 98 and valve 100. This passage 96, being below the normal water level in the chamber 36, affords a simple means of admitting the required water to the graphite chamber, whereupon the water will percolate through the graphite to the upper portion of the chamber 38.

\Vhile the foregoing represents what are now deemed to constitute the preferred modes of practising the invention,the right is reserved to such formal modifications or changes therein as may fairly fall within the scope of the following claims.

Claims:

1. The method of lubrication which consists in feeding oil past a supply of graphite and thereby charging the oil with particles of graphite, and thereafter floating the mixture of oil and graphite so obtained by means of a liquid of greater specific gravity than said mixture.

2. The method of lubrication which consists in inducing a flow of oil through a substantially saturated mixture of a liquid and graphite and thereby charging the oil with particles of graphite, and thereafter conducting off the oil which has become charged with the graphite to the points to be lubricated.

3. The method of feeding a lubricating mixture of oil and graphite which consists in causing oil charged with particles of graphite to become separated from". a imixture of oil andgraphite by'mea-ns of a contiguous liquid of greater specific gravity than the oil and graphitesoremoved,

4. The method of feeding a lubricating mixture of oil and graphitewhich'consists in inducing a flow of oil through a substantially saturated mixture of a liquid 'and graphite and causing oil charged with-particles of graphite to become separated from said saturated mixture by means of a contiguous medium of greater specific gravity than that of the oil and graphite so removed.

5. A lubricating device provided with a graphite chamber, means for feeding oil to the graphite below the upper surface there of and thereby charging the oil with particles of graphite, and means for conducting 0E the oil which emerges from said graphite charged with particles thereof to the points to be lubricated.

6. A lubricating device provided with a graphite chamber, means for feeding oil to the graphite below the upper surface thereof, means for floating the oil as it emerges from the graphite charged with particles thereof, and an outlet for said charged oil adjacent the upper end of said chamber.

7. A lubricating device provided with a graphite chamber, means for feeding oil to the graphite below the upper surface thereof, means for maintaining a supply of water in the upper portion of said chamber for floating the oil as it emerges from the graphite charged with particles thereof, and an outlet for said charged oil adjacent the upper end of said chamber.

8. A lubricating device comprising a graphite chamber provided with a steam connection, means for feeding oil to the graphite in said chamber below the upper surface thereof, said steam connection including a condenser for maintaining a supply of water in the upper portion of said chamber for floating the oil as it emerges from the graphite charged with particles thereof, and an outlet for said charged oil adjacent the upper end of said chamber.

9. A lubricating device provided with a graphite chamber, means-for feeding oil to the graphite below the upper surface thereof, a drain outlet extending from a point above the bottom of said chamber but below the normal surface line of said graphite, means for maintaining a supply of water in the upper portion of said chamber for floating the oil as it emerges from the graphite charged with particles thereof, and an outlet for said charged oil adjacent the upper end of the chamber. 7

10. A lubricating device provided with a graphite chamber having an outlet near its upper end above the normal surface line of the graphite therein, means for feeding oil casing provided With a partition dividing the interior of the casing into a graphite chamber and an oil chamber, means for conducting oil from a level adjacent the upper end of the oil chamber into the graphite chamber at a point belowthe upper surface 10 of the graphite therein, means for feeding 'Water into the oil chamber near the bottom thereof, for driving the oil into said graphite chamber, and means for conducting the oil, as fast as it enters said graphite 15 chamber and becomes charged with graphite, from said graphite chamber.

CHAS. E. EDGAR.

copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the "Oommluioner of Patent. Washington, D. G. 

